Maui Community College
Course Outline
1. Alpha and Number
Music 167
Course Title
Evolution of American Pop Music
Credits
3
Date of Outline
January 2004
2. Course Description
3. Contact Hours/Type
Traces the history of American popular
music, including soul, blues, rhythm and
blues, country, western, jazz, gospel, folk
reggae, and rock and roll.
3 hours/lecture
4. Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Recommended Preparation
None
Approved by _____________________________________ Date___________________
2
5. General Course Objectives
Music 167 is a survey that introduces various musical styles, genres, forms, and
developments that shaped, and continue to evolve, American popular music. This
study explores, through active listening, lecture, discussion, and readings, how
American pop music grew into the pluralistic phenomenon as we know it today.
6. Student Learning Outcomes
For assessment purposes, these are linked to #7. Recommended Course Content.
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to
a. Identify artists from various pop genre including: Rock and roll, Soul, Rap, Doo
Opp, House, Hip Hop, Alternative, Heavy Metal, Jazz, Reggae, and Folk.
b. Explain the connection between pop music and technology
c. Contrast the philosophical, cultural, and aesthetical differences between Rock and
Tin Pan Alley music types
d. Discuss the roots of rock
e. Explain the cultural causes of the birth of rock
f. List groups that were marketed as white middle-class reaction to rock
g. Discuss the connection between politics and pop music
h. Contrast various music markets
i. Discuss the poles of pop: Punk and Disco
j. Contrast the differences between the music of the eighties and the sixties.
k. Discuss Rap and Metal
l. Understand pop packaging in the nineties
7. Recommended Course Content and Approximate Time Spent on Each Topic
Linked to # 6. Student Learning Outcomes.
1 week
Introduction. Rock Explodes. Roots of Pop
1 week
Jazz, Rhythm and Blues
1 week
Soul Music
1 week
The Beatles
1 week
The Beatles/Beach Boys/ Bob Dylan
1 week
The Rolling Stones
1 week
The British Invasion
3
1 week
Folk, Bob Dylan part II, Plugging In
1 week
The Generation, Woodstock, Culture Wars
1 week
California North and South (contrasts San Francisco
bands with LA bands), Death of The Beatles, Hendrix, and Joplin
1 week
Review
1 week
Art Rock, The Seventies, Zappa
1 week
Rap
1 week
Guitar Heroes
1 week
Punk/Alternative/Disco
1 week
Reggae
8. Text and Materials, Reference Materials, Auxiliary Materials and Content
Appropriate text(s) and materials will be chosen at the time the course is offered from
those currently available in the field. Examples include
Campbell, Michael, and Brody, James. Rock and Roll An Introduction. Thomson
Learning: New York.
Stuessy, Joe, Lipscomb, Scott. Rock and Roll, 4th ed. Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle
River
9.
Recommended Course Requirements and Evaluation
Specific course requirements are at the discretion of the instructor at the time the
course is being offered. Suggested requirements might include, but are not limited to
10 – 60%
Written quizzes, midterm(s) and/or a final exam covering lectures,
discussions, media presentations, guest speakers, listening
assignments and reading assignments
5 – 30%
Concert Reports
10 – 30%
Term Projects
4
10 – 30%
Listening Assignments
0 – 20%
Reading text assigned materials and answering discussion
questions
5 – 20%
Participation in class discussions, group and individual oral reports
10 – 20%
Projects, reports, and/or Service-Learning
8 – 10%
Punctuality, attendance, and participation
10. Methods of Instruction
Instructional methods will vary considerably with instructors. Specific methods will
be at the discretion of the instructor teaching the course and might include, but are not
limited to
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
quizzes and other tests with feedback and discussion;
lectures and class discussions;
problem solving;
narrated 35-mm slide and/or PowerPoint presentations;
videos, DVDs, CD-ROMs with detailed viewing guide and discussion questions;
guest speakers and attendance at public lectures;
group activities;
oral reports and other student presentations;
games and simulations;
homework assignments such as
- reading, or watching, and writing summaries and reactions to music
issues in the media including newspapers, video, magazines, journals,
lectures, web-based material, and other sources;
- listening assignments
- reading text and reference material and answering discussion questions;
- research musical issues, and problems;
web-based assignments and activities;
reflective journals;
group and/ or individual research projects with reports or poster presentations;
study groups;
Service-Learning, community service, and/or civic engagement projects; and
other contemporary learning techniques (such as problem-based learning,
investigative case-based learning, co-op, internships, self-paced programs, etc.)